Crew Finds 60 Pounds Of Pot Along I-4 Near Plant City

By THE TAMPA TRIBUNE | Tbo.com
Published: November 28, 2007

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Members of a highway cleanup crew collected some intriguing litter along Interstate 4, near Plant City, on Tuesday morning.

At 7:30 a.m., the crewmen were near McIntosh Road when they spotted two large plastic trash bags on the side of the highway that were filled with about 60 pounds of marijuana, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Trooper Larry Coggins said the plants, valued at more than $54,000, apparently fell or were thrown out of a passing vehicle. They appeared freshly cut, and some had intact root balls. Investigators suspected the plants were harvested within the previous 24 hours from a grow-house operation, Coggins said.

Tuesday's discovery was not the largest amount of marijuana found alongside a highway, "but it certainly isn't an everyday event," the trooper said.

Anyone missing their bags of marijuana or who knows how these bags made their way onto the roadside is asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol at (813) 631-4020.

A staff report